While news of her appearance in the magazine was appreciated by many of her fans worldwide, the reaction in her native Poland was polarized, specifically enraging a segment of the Catholic population including a youth group that she had apparently been affiliated with. The group, "Youth Crusade" has dropped Radwanska following her appearance in the magazine for what they feel is rather un-Catholic behaviour.

“It’s a shame that someone who has declared their love for Jesus is now
promoting the mentality of men looking at a woman as a thing rather than
a child of God worthy of respect and love,” Father Marek Dziewiecki, a
senior Catholic priest, told The Telegraph.
“If she meets a man who she can truly love and establish a happy family
and raise Catholic children, then she would probably have to hide these
pictures from relatives.”

It should be noted that Radwanska's not the first WTA player to be featured in ESPN's Body Issue, nor is she the highest ranking female tennis player to grace its pages. Current world number one Serena Williams was on the cover in 2009, former world number two Vera Zvonereva was in the 2011 edition, while Daniela Hantuchova was included in last year's issue.

Rather than avoid the issue, Radwanska issued a statement on her Facebook page on Friday where she not only refused to apologize for her decision but also clearly justified her reasoning for participating in the photoshoot:

“For those that are not familiar with the magazine, ESPN
The Body Issue is a celebration of the beauty of the bodies of the best
athletes in the world. It includes both men and women of all ages and
all shapes and sizes. Other athletes photographed include San Francisco
quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 77-year-old golf legend Gary Player, and
Olympic volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings – during and after
her pregnancy. My tennis colleagues Serena Williams, Daniela Hantuchova
and Vera Zvonareva have all participated in the past.

The pictures are certainly not meant to cause offense and to brand
them as immoral clearly does not take into account the context of the
magazine. Moreover, they do not contain any explicit imagery whatsoever.
I train extremely hard to keep my body in shape and that’s what the
article and the magazine is all about. If you read the interview, it
only discusses my job as an athlete and what I have to do physically to
be able to participate at the highest level of sport.

It has been suggested by some members of the press (among
others) that I was paid for the photo shoot. This is absolutely not the
case. Neither I nor any of the other athletes were paid. I agreed to
participate to help encourage young people, and especially girls, to
exercise, stay in shape and be healthy.”

I don't think that response could have been any more thorough or to the point in explaining her reasons. Will her comments quiet her religious critics? - probably not, but she has taken the high road in simply stating the positive qualities she wished to promote in her photos and accompanying article rather than lashing back at her detractors for themselves displaying less than Catholic values by pointing the finger at her.

On the tennis court Radwanska continues to maintain a threatening presence on the WTA Tour while she chases that elusive first Grand Slam title. After starting the 2013 season by winning back-to-back tournaments in Auckland
and Sydney she has failed to reach another final in the past six months, but played admirably
at Wimbledon where she lost in the semi-finals to Sabine Lisicki 9-7 in
the decisive set.

Keep checking back with us at ProTennisFan as we will be speaking with Radwanska at the Rogers Cup in Toronto in two weeks time. Follow us on Twitter as well for timely updates on both the ATP and WTA Tours.